If you consider yourself an activist, what media do you consume?
April 28, 2024 8:26 AM Subscribe
If you consider yourself an activist, what media do you consume to inform your opinion? For example, I am generally very involved in local, state and federal (in the US) politics, and I read newspapers that cover those issues to inform my opinion. I don't though typically watch movies or use social media (even first person accounts). I never listen to the radio and rarely listen to podcasts. My question isn't about judging that choice, I'm just curious what others use.
For example, if you consider yourself a climate activist, do you read research studies, watch tik-toks, read substacks? etc.
I'm using the term "activist" broadly to include anything from sending a letter to your representative to blocking highways in protest. You don't need to share how you engage in your activism, but I'd be interested to know what topic you are active in and what media you consume. My example was US-specific, but this is not a US-specific question.
For example, if you consider yourself a climate activist, do you read research studies, watch tik-toks, read substacks? etc.
I'm using the term "activist" broadly to include anything from sending a letter to your representative to blocking highways in protest. You don't need to share how you engage in your activism, but I'd be interested to know what topic you are active in and what media you consume. My example was US-specific, but this is not a US-specific question.
I follow local activists on Instagram although I try to keep the list short. I listen to some podcasts that are relevant to my interests and follow up by reading articles from their guests when I want to learn more about something. I follow a couple of mainstream media outlets to avoid missing anything/keep track of the Overton window.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 10:16 AM on April 28
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 10:16 AM on April 28
I mainly do a lot of skimming. I read and have a subscription to the Washington Post, New York Times, and my local city newspaper. I don't watch any TV news or listen to political podcasts. When I drive, I usually listen to NPR. But I drive less, since I became a remote worker. I read state political blog that gets fresh posts Monday through Thursday. I sometimes read newsletters from my county Democratic party and a couple of other local groups. I am on Reddit, and sometimes get local news there. I am in the Sierra club and skim through their magazine, along with High Country News print edition. I also occasionally peruse a few other local or state news outlets, some of which are nonprofit. I also subscribe to the print edition of The Atlantic, but I am often behind on reading it. I read that almost cover to cover, when I get to it.
As far as what topics I am active in, I am not really focused. I mainly help door knock for Dem candidates, preferably progressive. I also sometimes write letters to officials, speak at meetings, or write letters to the editor. And sometimes I work to organize those in my area of the city. I guess I am more active in local, then state, and less so in federal or international.
posted by NotLost at 10:19 AM on April 28 [1 favorite]
As far as what topics I am active in, I am not really focused. I mainly help door knock for Dem candidates, preferably progressive. I also sometimes write letters to officials, speak at meetings, or write letters to the editor. And sometimes I work to organize those in my area of the city. I guess I am more active in local, then state, and less so in federal or international.
posted by NotLost at 10:19 AM on April 28 [1 favorite]
Also, I have recently read the following books:
* "Poverty"
* "Homelessness is a Housing Problem"
* "When We Walk By"
Some years ago, I read "Rules for Radicals."
posted by NotLost at 10:21 AM on April 28
* "Poverty"
* "Homelessness is a Housing Problem"
* "When We Walk By"
Some years ago, I read "Rules for Radicals."
posted by NotLost at 10:21 AM on April 28
I am part of an organization and have other activist friends, so we share information and have reading groups. I see a lot of them getting information from podcasts like The Dig. For me, it's more likely to be from the local alt weekly, the Texas Observer, and Twitter.
posted by tofu_crouton at 10:28 AM on April 28 [1 favorite]
posted by tofu_crouton at 10:28 AM on April 28 [1 favorite]
When I've been deep in activism around a subject, I find media to be a little challenging -- since we tried to get media coverage, I was often wondering "ok which organization got this story written, why were these people quoted and not these other people," and otherwise reverse engineering the media strategy that led to the story, and at times dubious about the facts. My activism was more informed by a research-based strategy and by as much history about past policymaking as I could (often gained via conversation), and then via the network of folks also working on the topic via regular meetings.
I do also find it useful to get the deep policy-nerd perspective by reading substacks or listening to podcasts with policy wonks or the journalists who cover them. I also find that it helps me to hear examples of what other groups are doing or how others look at things. Just as one example, It Could Happen Here has a lot of interesting interviews (example).
posted by slidell at 2:07 PM on April 28
I do also find it useful to get the deep policy-nerd perspective by reading substacks or listening to podcasts with policy wonks or the journalists who cover them. I also find that it helps me to hear examples of what other groups are doing or how others look at things. Just as one example, It Could Happen Here has a lot of interesting interviews (example).
posted by slidell at 2:07 PM on April 28
I subscribe to a national paper and my local paper, and to the New Yorker and usually another magazine, usually Commonweal, the Nation, or In These Times but really that's just random. I skim a handful of new websites and MeFi, and occasionally I read books that are either about issues I care about or the very very foundational values concepts (like just random historical, philosophical, theological books or just fiction). I try to talk to strangers, also, when the opportunity presents itself. I think I listen to two newsy podcasts and two more lefty perspective podcasts.
I also occasionally try to keep up on some kind of actual right wing news source but these days you can basically just make up in your mind what those would be going on about and you'd be correct. Or you can basically just find it in the pages of the NYT or WaPo, sounds like I'm joking but I'm not.
posted by kensington314 at 2:09 PM on April 28
I also occasionally try to keep up on some kind of actual right wing news source but these days you can basically just make up in your mind what those would be going on about and you'd be correct. Or you can basically just find it in the pages of the NYT or WaPo, sounds like I'm joking but I'm not.
posted by kensington314 at 2:09 PM on April 28
It's a terrible site but Reddit. I don't have or want an account but I regularly read many local subreddits from places I have no personal connection to. I also read workers subreddits, particularly ones from customer-facing industries like retail or delivery or domestic labor.
The reason I read Reddit even though it's the fucking worst is because it's a platform that people use to communicate what's happening for them in the moment and it's not like the spaces where you can't properly read anything without an account. I've learned so much from threads on Reddit that I feel compelled to recommend it as an info source even though I may have mentioned that it's not a safe or nice place at all. It is a place where people gather to talk about stuff.
I'm anti-capitalist and pumped about learning about people helping each other survive every day. Other things that make me furious include ableism, the binary narrative, old people abusing everyone, and bodily autonomy. Oh I also have a real bone to pick with proselytizers too so I keep an eye on them as well.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 5:09 PM on April 28 [2 favorites]
The reason I read Reddit even though it's the fucking worst is because it's a platform that people use to communicate what's happening for them in the moment and it's not like the spaces where you can't properly read anything without an account. I've learned so much from threads on Reddit that I feel compelled to recommend it as an info source even though I may have mentioned that it's not a safe or nice place at all. It is a place where people gather to talk about stuff.
I'm anti-capitalist and pumped about learning about people helping each other survive every day. Other things that make me furious include ableism, the binary narrative, old people abusing everyone, and bodily autonomy. Oh I also have a real bone to pick with proselytizers too so I keep an eye on them as well.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 5:09 PM on April 28 [2 favorites]
Books, well researched newsletters/blogs, deep-dive podcasts, and long-form investigative journalism. I read headlines but rarely read newspapers anymore. Depth instead of breadth I guess.. For better and for worse. But overall, while "the news" can help draw my attention to an issue or event I hadn't heard of - it never provides the level of context, historical or current, I need to develop opinions. Further, while there are limitations to taking in the talking points of partisans of one side or another, the supposed nutrality of the news ends up stripping it of the why I should care. Ideally I'll take take in some different perspectives on a given issue. Not to say I need to read 'both sides', but reading or hearing different experts really explore a few different perspectives on why something is happening, or different ideas of how to solve a problem, is where my own analysis grows.
Some examples of stuff I have taken-in recently that connects me more deeply to world events - kind of chosen at random but to give a flavor:
The Phenomenal World sources email newsletter: I skim and then click/read some but not all the links.
The Dig Radio podcast: long, (sometimes too long), interviews with expert authors on a wide range of subject areas that have important implications politically, economically, socially, etc. Often topical to something going on in current events.
Health Communism: read about half of this with a little book-club of fellow radical healthcare workers.
Articles I find linked on Metafilter or 3 Quarks Daily. I used to really get a lot of great links from Twitter - seeing what journalists, researchers, activists, etc link to was priceless.. but.. no longer.
Right now I'm starting to work on divestment from Israel, so I'm less focused on reading every latest headline of what the Israeli military is doing in Gaza, but rather trying to collect historical examples around the apartheid divestment movement, to learn what they did that worked well and less well.
posted by latkes at 9:20 PM on April 28 [1 favorite]
Some examples of stuff I have taken-in recently that connects me more deeply to world events - kind of chosen at random but to give a flavor:
The Phenomenal World sources email newsletter: I skim and then click/read some but not all the links.
The Dig Radio podcast: long, (sometimes too long), interviews with expert authors on a wide range of subject areas that have important implications politically, economically, socially, etc. Often topical to something going on in current events.
Health Communism: read about half of this with a little book-club of fellow radical healthcare workers.
Articles I find linked on Metafilter or 3 Quarks Daily. I used to really get a lot of great links from Twitter - seeing what journalists, researchers, activists, etc link to was priceless.. but.. no longer.
Right now I'm starting to work on divestment from Israel, so I'm less focused on reading every latest headline of what the Israeli military is doing in Gaza, but rather trying to collect historical examples around the apartheid divestment movement, to learn what they did that worked well and less well.
posted by latkes at 9:20 PM on April 28 [1 favorite]
Seconding In These Times.
posted by tofu_crouton at 6:22 AM on April 29
posted by tofu_crouton at 6:22 AM on April 29
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posted by mai at 8:53 AM on April 28 [1 favorite]